by Darkbringer
I’m Telling!
“Wake your ass up!” Someone roughly yanked me, pulling me out of my cot. Hitting the ground hard, I blinked several times in bewilderment. Just moments ago I was lying on the stone next to Crystal, resting after another long day’s work, and now...
Now I had no idea where I was.
Being roughly dragged to my feet, I tried to pull on my magic, but it was gone. Two men were lifting and pulling me by either arm and after a moment, my mind remembered them. “Frank! Hank! You can’t be here.” I was beginning to sweat, and my knees were knocking as they dragged me along between them.
“Ha! As much as I hate this job, I got another five years to go before I can retire from it,” Frank laughed. “I’m afraid I’m going to be here much longer than you, boy.”
“Aye. Tonight’s your last night with us. I hear there’s not gonna be any last minute call for you.” Hank snarled and spat his disgust to the side. “Child murdering punk like you is gonna cook real nice. I’d pull the switch myself if they’d just let me.”
“But… but..” I couldn’t comprehend what had happened. These were the two guards who had escorted me to my death, oh so long ago. I’d already died. I couldn’t be here! Not again. Frantically, I tried to pull on my magic. I tried to use the training I’d learned fighting with father and De’Nara to pull away.
All I got was zapped with a stun gun and dragged along, while Hank muttered about, “Told ya he wouldn’t come quietly. The guilty ones never do. You owe me a fiver, Frank.”
Once again, I was strapped down and the proceedings for my execution took place. I was asked if I wanted someone to perform last rites. If I had anything to say. If I wanted to tell the world how sorry I was. I tried to fight. I tried to struggle. The straps were simply too tight and built too strong; they’d been used for this purpose before, and would probably be used for it again after me.
I tried to talk. I tried to reason. I begged and I pleaded. I asked for Crystal. I demanded to know how she, Dino and the others were; where they were! I simply got ignored, as the guards treated my performance as the last desperate acts of a madman. It was too late for an insanity defense at this point in the process, but that never stopped some people from trying.
With a jolt of pain, the switch was flipped and fire ran through my veins. Agony burst throughout my body, and my heart exploded. I died…
… and nothing happened.
Darkness descended. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t see. But I could hear and I could feel everything. The guards waited a few moments and the doctor confirmed I was dead. I was wheeled out and taken someplace cold. Eventually, I was moved again and lifted, bathed, and dressed, before being placed back inside something rather hard and uncomfortable.
I heard people come and whisper over me. Some whispered that I deserved it; that I should burn in hell. My mother – the mother who had given birth to me the first time, before my rebirth – came and cried over me. She wailed about how she was sorry that she’d failed me, that it was her fault I turned out the way I did. Even she believed I was guilty in the end, and blamed herself for being a bad parent! If my corpse could’ve cried, I would’ve.
Eventually, the mourners – and even the gleeful enthusiasts – stopped coming and I moved once again. Lowered down into the ground, I heard as the dirt was shoved onto my casket.
And then I simply lay there.
Alone. In the dark. Slowly decaying; slowly rotting – and feeling every moment of it. Hours turned into days. Days into weeks. Weeks into years. My corpse bloated from the gasses building within and then burst. My flesh decayed and worms ate at what was left. Soon I was nothing more than bones and regrets, and even the bones began to crumble after enough time had passed.
For an eternity, I tried to yell without a mouth. To scream out my despair and frustration. I cussed myself. I cursed the guards. I cussed Crystal, Le’Nara, and De’Nara for being nothing more than the last minute dreams of a madman. I cussed everyone and everything that I ever knew. Both my mothers. Both my fathers. Every girl whose name I could even imagine remembering from the island. And then I cussed the Flipping Fool.
And then there was a wild laughter. An insanely mirthful giggle that echoed all around. “HIYAS!!” Light erupted all around and I was once again floating in thin air, surrounded by darkness, with the idiot God that had given me a second chance before me.
“I LIKES YOUR PRAYER! IT’S FUNNY!” He was zipping around, doing flips, cartwheels, and spins. “WHATCHAA NEED? HUH? HUH?!” Soon he was bouncing all around me, looking me up and down.
“Come on. Come on. COME ON! You called me here! Whatcha need? Do I need to guess? Can I guess? Should I guess?” Skipping, twirling, and spraying rainbows and glitter everywhere, I could only stand and stare with my mouth agape once more. Trying to follow the Fool was more than my brain could process all at once, after sitting in the dark and rotting for several centuries.
“A PONY!” He yelled, waved his arms, and giant balloons filled themselves out of thin air before popping and revealing a pony floating upside down behind him. It leisurely leaned and chewed on the Fool’s disarrayed hair, completely disregarding the fact that it was upside and floating there.
“Not it? That’s OK! It’s a tree! It’s a bird! It’s a cricket! A ball!” Without giving me a chance to say a single thing, the Fool bounced around – the pony pulled along behind him, chewing his hair, much like a kite on a string – creating everything he named. A willow tree appeared, floating on its side, off to my left. A dozen brightly colored birds of all shapes and sizes appeared and fluttered all about. A single cricket the size of a mountain appeared and hopped off into the darkness, as dozens of balls of all shapes, sizes, and colors rained down around us.
“Am I dead again?” I finally asked feebly. The fool stopped spinning, a pink elephant was standing on its tip toe in his hand and growing larger and larger by the moment as he blinked and stared at me.
I waited patiently, watching in amazement as the elephant continued to grow – it was now the size of a large skyscraper and still perched precariously on the Fool’s fingertips – until the Fool finally burst out into another round of wild laughter. “YOU GOT ME! I WOULDN’T HAVE GUESSED THAT FOR ANOTHER 2317 YEARS! THAT’S FUNNY!!” His voice echoed and rumbled all around, blowing the tree and elephant both end over end and out into the darkness.
By whatever strange logic ruled this place, the birds and the balls stayed where they were, completely untouched by the tornado his yell released.
“You gots me! You gots me! You gots me!” The Fool was skipping and spinning and twirling all around; dancing to a beat that only he could hear. Fireworks burst all around us, and rainbows and sparkles blew away the darkness completely – all save one small patch which immediately seemed to get the Fool’s attention.
“HIYAS!” He yelled at the darkness and waved at it. “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you standing there! How is ya?!” Shoving his hand forward like he was going to shake, the Fool touched the darkness and then screamed.
“WAAAHHHHH!!!” Jerking his hand back, fires burned and melted his fingers. “EWWW! EWWW! EWWWWW! EWWWW!!! EEEEEWWWWWW!!” Shaking his hand up and down and back and forth frantically, the flames simply spread, melting and burning his whole arm away.
“IT’S NASTY! NASTY! NASTY!” The Fool was starting to soften like wax on a hot summer’s day, and his features were beginning to droop and sag. As he slowly melted away into nothing, I could feel him pulling together an unfathomable amount of pure energy into his lungs. Taking a deep breath…
…. The darkness disappeared in an instant and I woke up screaming, “I’M TELLING! I’M TELLING! I’M TELLING!!”
Chosen by Chaos?
Lashing out, my magic bathed the small chamber Crystal and I was sleeping in, in a bright fiery glow. Startled, she rolled up and spun to face the door, sword ready. Mongo burst thru the small opening separating our rooms, his massive sword ready, with Skeet only a moment behind. Gett
ing my bearings, I slowly looked around and the dark horror of my nightmare slowly started to fade into the background.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized to everyone. “I was having a nightmare, I think.”
Skeet looked over at Mongo, who just shrugged, and Crystal made a shooing motion towards them both. “Go on. Get. You heard My Lord.”
Skeet finally just shrugged and moved back out of the room. Mongo nodded sympathetically. “Anyone can get nightmares in a place like this. No shame in them at all here,” he offered comfortingly, before turning and leaving as well.
Finally alone once more, Crystal eased back down and placed Heartblade close beside her again. “Care to dim the glow, My Lord?”
Embarrassed, I turned off the glaring inferno I’d created to illuminate our room, and tried not to blush. “Sorry,” I apologized.
“It’s not a problem, My Lord.” Crystal slowly pulled my head over to rest on her breast, as she stroked my hair lightly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a Child of Chaos, My Lord?”
“I’m not,” I assured her. “I’m a child of The House of Dancing Flames.”
Laughing, she just leaned and kissed me slightly on the forehead. “Of course, you’re not. A Child of Chaos would never admit they were if they didn’t want to. I apologize for asking something so foolish. I should know better.”
“But I’m not!” For some reason, it didn’t seem like she believed me at all, even though she nodded in agreement. “I don’t even know what a ‘Child of Chaos’ is,” I finally admitted, poutingly. I hated having to admit to not knowing something – especially when others made it seem like common knowledge. It’s not my fault I grew up on Father’s Harem Isle! I don’t think there’s a person there with an ounce of common knowledge which I could’ve learned from, even if I wanted to!
Nodding exaggeratedly, it was completely obvious that Crystal didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Of course, you don’t, My Lord. Should I tell you what all people of wealth or influence know of the Children of Chaos? Or would you prefer to continue not knowing?”
“Just tell me what you know,” I replied, moodily. Out of pure peevishness, I bit her on the nipple hard enough to make her yelp slightly.
“Ok! Ok! Ok!” Each time she tried to talk, I tugged gently with my teeth until finally she thumped me upside the head slightly with her hand. “Enough of that for now,” she demanded. “That is if you want me to tell you anything more.”
“Fine.” Pouting, I nuzzled my head between her breasts and settled down to listen.
“Before I tell you about the Children of Chaos, I need to know what you know about the Gods,” Crystal whispered, stroking my hair once again.
“Not a damn thing,” I told her honestly. “They weren’t important to Mother or anyone at our home, and I grew up in a secluded place which focused on teaching specific skill sets. Knowledge of the gods wasn't needed for any of those teachings.”
“Then I’ll tell you the story of the Gods and the Making, as I heard it long ago,” Crystal offered, and nodded slightly in acceptance.
“Once, long ago, there was nothing. Nothing, floating in nothingness, surrounded by nothing. Not even darkness existed, because darkness is something, and there was only The Nothing.”
“Sounds empty,” I muttered, only to be thwapped gently on the head and told to, “Hush.”
“It was empty,” Crystal agreed. “Empty nothingness. Until one day it wasn’t. From The Nothing came Earth. The First of the Gods, he scattered his power throughout the nothing and large boulders floated and crashed about. Sometimes the boulders powered themselves; sometimes they joined and grew larger. Planets, moons, and stars were born.
“Soon after, the Second of the Gods rose from The Nothing. Water spread His influence over the great emptiness. Ice formed in the cold that was The Nothing, and acted much like the earth itself. Frozen comets were formed. Ice attached itself to large bodies of earth, increasing their mass and becoming frozen lakes, ponds, and oceans. Even larger bodies of ice created plants of pure water floating and bouncing endlessly in The Nothing.
“Later, though none can say how much later since time itself didn’t exist like we know it now, The First Goddess was born. Fire – third amongst the Gods, and first amongst female. Burning wild and hot, she was the complete opposite to the icy coldness that was Water. With her flames and her passions, she melted his heart, and much of the ice in The Nothing changed to become the water which we see it as even now. As a promise that he would never be without her warm embrace, she created great wells of fire and placed them to where they could reach the depths of Water’s icy exterior. Suns were born, comets were set on fire and trailed flames through the sky, and the centers of many planets were heated until their very core melted and flowed with an inner flame that radiated eternally upwards.
“Water’s cold demeanor began to change, influenced by the presence of Fire, but Earth… Earth remained unchanging. Older than all others, stubborn beyond compare, Earth simply was. Unmoving. Unemotional. Find any stone, and you would’ve found the essence of Earth.
“And then the Second of the Goddesses came into being. Many scholars believe that Air was born out the necessity of balance, to help offset Earth as Fire thawed Water. Unfortunately, Air was…” She paused for a moment, seeking the proper word, and then laughed slightly. “… Flighty. Blowing across The Nothing, her energy was scattered and wasted; too ethereal to have the influence of the others. Air may have wasted away and returned to The Nothing from which she was born, except for the fact that Earth enjoyed the sight of the sand and ground as she blew across them. Instead of becoming his balance, he shackled her to him, and she became the First Slave.
“Earth remained stubborn. Hard. Unchanging. But he now kept Air trapped with him and around him, never allowing her to escape back to The Nothing.”
“An interesting take on creation,” I laughed lightly. “But, I don’t see what any of the elements has to do with Children of Chaos.” Crystal slightly tapped me on the forehead again and told me, “Hush. I’m getting there!”
“The Nothing was still a place of complete disarray, with the planets all zigging, zagging, and crashing without any sense of guidance or purpose. Order, Fifth amongst the Gods, was the third male born. With precision, time, and effort, He set the elements in their place inside The Nothing. The great balls of fire were placed as a center; a sun from which the planets were placed and made to revolve around. Comets were set long orbits to help mark the passage of time as they circled the edges of The Nothing. Order was given to the universe, and the Fifth God forever became known as Order thereafter.
“With things set in balance, the third female was born; Life. By her breath and essence, plants began to grow upon the land, fish inside the water, and birds roamed the sky. Earth was – and still is – a stubbornly possessive God, and he claimed all that walked, crawled, or lived upon him to be HIS. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Water claimed all that lived within the rivers, oceans, and water as his. And the two, in their jealousy never allowed what was theirs to stay and live upon what the other claimed. The fishes died if they were brought to the land, and the creatures of the land drowned if trapped within the water too long.
“Life, being the light-hearted, cheerful creature that she was, was simply overjoyed that her brothers loved her creations so much that they wanted them as their own. With wild abandon, she continued to breath endless varieties of life throughout The Nothing. Earth’s Children grew in numbers, as did Water’s, and soon the universe was a crowded, cluttered place. With her endless love, and the male’s endless possessiveness, the universe would’ve become one huge ball of nothing with living essences packed endlessly tight inside the waters, or stacked mindlessly high upon the earth – but it was then that the Fourth Goddess, and Seventh amongst them all, was born.
“Cold and uncaring, Death saw that things were growing out of control, so she coldly sliced down huge swaths of living creatures, causing t
he First Great Fight amongst the Gods. Earth and Water were possessive; they didn’t want anything of theirs touched by another. Life was sad and cried endlessly, her creations being destroyed and lost to The Nothing. Air supported Earth – when she remembered to, or when he forced her – and Fire supported Water. Death simply didn’t care and continued to reap, which caused Life to cry out in anger and breath life even quicker and harder.
“And Order? Poor Order was left to try and mediate the fight and find a solution. Eventually, it was decided that Death must do her work, or else Life would have to stop hers. Endless birthing could not be permitted, for the good of all. Still, Earth and Water didn’t want to allow what was theirs to escape their grasp, so a compromise was made. Death would reap the flesh, but the essence of the existence would remain behind. Souls, which each God would keep for their own.”
“And the universe settled. Peace descended, and all the souls of all the creatures of Earth returned to him. All the souls of the creatures of Water returned to him. Harmony was achieved, and nothing changed. Only the Gods can say how long The Balance was maintained, but after time had passed, a great a loud laughter rang out from within The Nothing.
“The Eighth and Final God was born; Chaos. Born of the pieces that weren’t, built of the nots, filled with the impossibles, Chaos danced across Creation, tossing perfection into perfect disarray. Planets were bounced out of orbit. Stars fell. Souls were stolen from Earth and Water and hidden in places where they could not be. Creatures were altered. Some were given free will, their spirits unshackled and set free to find their own path. The Fairies were born – wild children of laughter and pure Chaos, breaker of all the rules.
“In anger and frustration, Death struck them down, only to growl in frustration as they were reborn in laughter. Earth dropped mountains upon them, to trap them and make them his, as they took up residence in his trees; only to find that somehow they had simply disappeared and moved elsewhere to plant their home upon his soil. Water drowned them. Fed them to his fish. Frozen them. Fire burnt them. Air ripped them to shreds and scattered their wings across the horizon. And yet, they forever healed. Forever returned. Forever broke any rule that was set. Fearless, wild, and untamable, the Fairies existed for only one thing – pure joy and laughter. Green trees were dull and boring! They needed colors! Gray fish were yucky! Why not make some like a rainbow? Or even transparent? Why not steal the bones from some and make them jelly?